Disregard the Mirrored Heart
by Captainperfectswan
Summary: Emma is in New York with her son and boyfriend Walsh. But when Walsh shows his true colours unexpectedly, Emma finds herself in the enchanted forest. When Hook finds Emma, the women he loves and misses greatly, he realizes his problems have just begun. With no memory of who he is and no idea where her son is, Emma and Hook's adventure becomes a terrifying challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! :D So I'm excited to start this story. I have had this idea for a while and can't wait to continue it! I really hope you enjoy the first chapter. :)) Also, I would love to hear what you thought. So, review? **

Chapter 1:

~Emma's POV~

Emma was wondering the streets of New York that day. With Henry in school and no criminal case for the day, Emma decided to enjoy the city that has allowed her and her son to create a new home. The aftermath of the fire that had destroyed her home not too long ago forced them to start off fresh somewhere else. Every day since then, Emma was very pleased in the decision to move here. She has accomplished so much with her bail bonds person job and had even found herself a boyfriend.

"Emma!" said a familiar voice from behind her. Emma smiled as she slowly turned her head towards Walsh. It had been four months since Walsh had first asked her out to dinner. She had met him in his furniture shop, completely taken aback by the eagerness to help her out. After she had gone back to the store to pick up her order two weeks earlier than expected, it confirmed her theory that he was defiantly flirting with her. Emma was really hesitant to except going out to dinner with him when he first asked her out. The ability to bring her walls down was not an easy thing to do, but he was quite persuasive. Having made the decision to agree to this date, Emma had known that her decision was right since they have become inseparable for four months.

"Hey, Walsh," Emma said, smiling into his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "what are you doing here?"

"I decided to get off work early today and surprise you. Knowing you were off work yourself, I couldn't miss this opportunity to spend the day with you."

Emma laughed as she pulled away from his embrace. "What did you have in mind?"

Walsh laughed with her, "How about a walk through central park, with hot chocolate and cinnamon?"

Emma leaned in licking her lips, "That sounds perfect-, shoot! Sorry, Walsh I can't," she said as she looked down at his watch, "I told Henry I was going to pick him up early from school today and I'm already late."

She started walking down the sidewalk when Walsh grabbed her arm. "Hey, why don't you and Henry come over to my place for dinner tonight? Around 7:00?"

"That sounds great!" Emma answered, as she gave him one quick kiss on the lips before turning around and running down the street.

~Hook's POV~

_The sky had never looked more blue, the wind so perfect as it helped sail the Jolly Roger. Hook was at the wheel barking orders at his crew. "Smee, I swear! If you dare come any closer to me with that broom, I am going to personally throw you off board myself, with no luxury of walking the plank first!" _

"_Yes, Captain." Smee walked away quickly towards the other side of the deck, taking his bucket of water and broom with him to clean someplace else._

_Hook called out to another member of his crew to take the wheel while he made his way down to the captain's courtiers He sat at his desk taking a swing at his rum before closing his eyes and relaxing. It took only a few minutes before he started hearing a commotion above deck._

"_Bloody hell," Hook swore slamming the flask of rum on the table before making his way back up the deck, "I can never get any peace and quiet-." _

_Hook gasped staring at the figure that had gotten the attention of his entire crew. _

_She was covered in rages, her hair a mess, and her face and arms covered in bruises._

"_Please," she cried "you have to help me, I need to escape h-him. Before it's too late, you have to help me Hook!"_

_Hook made his way toward her, stopping just a few inches away. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" The women literally gasped reaching for him. Grabbing the collars of his coat, she started shaking him and cried. "Hook you have to help me… you have to remember me! I need you! Please, it's Emma. I'm… I'm Emma. Please!" She screamed._

_Suddenly they were in a dark room surrounded with mirrors. Hook looked around startled with the new location, the atmosphere felt dry and creepy._

"_Please! Oh god, he's here! This is where he got me the first time." A chill ran down his spine not comprehending who this woman was or what she was trying to run away from. _

"_I'm sorry, Emma? I really don't understand what is going on-"_

_A loud laughter echoed the room as a gasp escaped Emma. Hook looked over her shoulder and saw a figure of a man holding a dagger in the mirror. Hook quickly grabbed the women and pulled her into his arms. Every mirror surrounding them had this figure in it, each second the mirrors moved closer engulfing them into a tight area. As the mirrored figure surrounded them, his dagger raised high, ready to attack at any moment._

_All of a sudden everything went still, everything but Emma, who was still in his arms crying "Please!" into his chest._

_In a heartbeat, the chilling calmness changed and all hell broke loose. The figure screamed in a high pitched shriek of joy, breaking out of the mirror. When the multiple copies of the figure broke out of the mirror in a dizziness spin, the figure became one and transported himself in between Emma and Hook. Emma cried out at the loss of Hook's embrace and Hook angrily swung his hook at the figure. But it was too late; the figure grabbed Emma and pulled her into the mirror._

"_Killian," She screamed. Hook threw himself at the mirror screaming in a frustrated growl. How did she know his name? Who was this woman? All these questions forgotten as he desperately tried to get her back._

_One last impact with the mirror caused him to stumble into the middle. He couldn't see her anymore but he could still hear her cries of "Please Killian, help me!" _

_He couldn't take it anymore; he slowly sunk to the ground holding his one good hand to his ear. He screamed calling out her name while tears ran down his face. Suddenly all the mirrors shattered falling on top of him. Blood dripped down his body and then everything got sucked into the darkness._

Hook woke up with a started gasp, "Emma!" he choked out. He slowly raised his head when he started hearing murmurs around him. "What the…?"

"Captain, are you alright?" Smee asked. When Hook finally made eye contact with him he realized that Smee was not his only company. His crew and the bar wenches had all surrounded him. "Captain," Smee said again.

Hook slammed his Hook into the bench he had fallen asleep on. "What!" He growled. This signaled everyone to move back to their own business. Smee slowly sat on the other side of the table, eyeing the captain as he said "I was just asking if you were okay, it seemed as though you had a night terror. With all the rum you drank, I'm not really surprised you passed out right here in the tavern."

"I'm fine," Hook mumbled "and don't you dare question the rum, it's none of your business as to how much I drink."

"Yes Captain, my apologies." Smee replied gingerly.

Hook sighed looking out the window; his expression seemed tired, maybe sad even. But that was not to be shown in front of his crew so he quickly changed his expression into a snarl.

"Who's Emma?" Smee finally asked. His words were said in a hesitation, cringing back when Hook faced him again. "None of your damn business," Hook spat at Smee, hiding the clenching of his heart and the emptiness he felt when he heard her name.

Smee spoke up in a quiet whisper, "It's just that you were screaming her name over and over again in your dream, I thought perhaps you knew her personally?"

Hook looked up from the flask of rum in his hands "I did once," Hook said as the wave of the dream hit him hard in the chest.

"What happened to her sir?" Smee asked.

"She's… gone," Hook replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that." There was a long silence until Hook finally stood up making his way to the entrance.

"It doesn't matter now; she was no one special." Hook struggled with the snarl he gave Smee, but he managed it in the circumstance of his anger. "I didn't allow you a part on my ship so you could talk to me freely; you only take orders from me, not question me."

"Yes sir, but mind I remind you, we don't have a ship anymore." Hook growled at Smee.

"Do you want to work for me or not?" He questioned dangerously.

"Yes Captain, of course I do." Smee replied, the fear of being replaced written all over his face.

"Then I suggest you go tell the crew that we are leaving to continue our planned robberies." Hook spat. It was the only way he and his crew could live their pirate lives without the Jolly Roger.

"Yes… Yes sir." Smee waited until Hook stormed out of the tavern, slamming the door behind him, before making his way to the crew.

~Emma's POV~

It was 6:45 p.m. and Emma and Henry were making their way to Walsh's apartment. Walsh lived close to his shop, but that was a good twenty blocks away from where they lived. Henry, who was always excited to see Walsh, was very giddy in the back seat of her yellow bug.

"Mom, it's already 6:55 we are going to be late!" Emma laughed as she stopped at a red traffic light.

"I'm sure Walsh won't be offended if we are a few minutes late, kid. It's not my fault I was called into work at the last minute." She smiled into the rear view mirror, watching Henry as he played his game boy.

"Whatever mom, I'm just really hungry." Henry explained and Emma laughed again. Her adorable little boy always knew how to make her smile.

When they finally pulled up to the parking lot behind the apartment, Henry was too eager to wait until his mom got out of the car. He shifted to the other side, getting out of the car first.

"Race you!" Henry shouted at her as he ran towards the apartment's back entrance.

Emma locked the car doors and walked down the path to the entrance, her car keys shifting from one hand to the other.

"Looks like you win kid," she said as she caught up with Henry inside, "there is no way I am running in these 6 inch heels."

Henry just smirked, running circles in the small spaced entrance in triumph.

Emma pressed the button that buzzed Walsh's apartment so he could open the second door leading into the lobby.

"Hello?" Walsh asked through the speaker.

"Hey, Walsh it's me and Henry." Emma explained.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" Emma and Henry exchanged a glance before Emma said, "Um… we're here for dinner? Remember you invited us over earlier this afternoon?"

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot. Sorry Emma." Walsh let out a long frustrated sigh.

"If you want us to go…"

"No no no! Of course not, this actually works out perfectly." Emma raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything else when Walsh buzzed them in, allowing the second door to open freely.

When they arrived in front of Walsh's door, Henry knocked and started jumping up and down.

"How much sugar did you have, kid?"

Henry just smiled at her as Walsh opened the door. "Walsh!" Henry jumped into his arms.

"Hey buddy! It's good to see you." Henry ran towards the kitchen and sat down at the table taking out his game boy again.

"Emma," Walsh pulled her into an embrace, "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. Some stupid issue occurred at the furniture shop."

"Oh, like what?" Emma asked.

"Nothing, it's fine now. I got rid of it," Walsh smiled, leading Emma towards the kitchen where Henry was seated. "How about we order in pizza?"

"Yes!" Henry said, putting his game boy aside.

"Alright then," Walsh smiled, picking up the phone and dialing the nearest pizza store's number. Emma excused herself as she left for the bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror, Emma took out her lip gloss, re-applying it. She stopped short when she noticed a shattered crack of glass on one side of the mirror. She stared at her reflection, the cracks causing her face to be multiplied a few dozen times. A chill ran through her, not knowing why, as she quickly exited the bathroom.

"So anyway, I was really excited to show my science teacher this really cool remote control car that didn't run on batteries, but she didn't believe me," Henry explained, throwing his arms in the air, "It took a while but I think she finally understands that science is more than chemistry labs and textbooks." He sighed as Walsh leaned against the other side of the counter listening to every word he was saying.

"Emma," Walsh sat up with a goofy smile on his face, "Henry was just explaining to me how much he loves school." He turned his head towards Henry, winking at him.

"Yeah, right," Emma smiled; she walked towards Henry ruffling his hair as she put her arms around his shoulder.

Henry smiled and this time he excused himself, leaving Emma with arms stretching out after him.

"Well then…I was thinking we should eat the pizza at the store, by the time we get there it will be ready." Suddenly there was a knock at the door, Walsh was about to get it when Emma ran before him, telling him she got it.

Emma opened the door and two strange tall men, drenched with black coats, awaited.

"…Um, who are-"Emma screamed as one of them unexpectedly picked her up and threw her towards the wall opposite the door.

"What the…?" Walsh ran toward the door, Henry trailing behind him. "What are you two doing here?"

"Mom," Henry made his way towards his mother's limp form on the ground. She stirred as Henry kept shaking her, "Mom!"

"Wha-…" Emma gasped as she awoke, arms immediately grabbing Henry and pulling him behind her.

"This is not the time, the boy, he is not ready." Walsh said to the two men.

One of them snarled, "Well regardless if he is or not, she wants him now, her plan is in action. She needs the boy now!"

"Walsh? What is going on?" Emma slowly stood up, her arms immediately guarding Henry.

"Well this is awkward," Walsh smirked at her, "It appears I won't need to act as your boyfriend anymore."

"Walsh! What are you talking about? Who are these people?"

One of the men started walking towards her, "We are the people who are going to retrieve your son. Think of it as a favor, your son will be working for my boss from now on. What a lucky kid. The little brat won't be much more trouble to you anymore."

"Henry, run!" Emma grabbed the umbrella stand from beside the door swinging it at one of the man's head. He screamed cursing as he yelled at the other one, "Get the boy, now!"

The man ran down the hallway after her son, she only had a second to wish he got away in time before the other man grabbed her, spinning her into his embrace. Her back was towards him while his arm covered her mouth, she screamed attempting to bite his hand but he only smirked.

Emma cried at Walsh, pleading with them to let her go, to let her son go. Walsh grinned at the man, "She is way too clever, she could mess with our plans, but we can't kill her. What do you suggest?"

The man let go of her mouth, allowing her to scream some more. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bean. Walsh looked at the glowing bean in his hand, sighing, "Very well."

"It's your turn to change, sir" said the man.

"Sorry it had to come to this, Emma." The man covered her mouth again and nodded towards Walsh as Emma stared daggers into his eyes.

Suddenly, Walsh, who was staring back at her, closed his eyes and then re-opened them a second later. This caused them to turn red. Emma gaped at him in disbelief as his shape started shrinking, he grew wings, and his whole form turned into a monkey. Sharp teeth smiled at her and he let out a shriek. The man pushed Emma towards the monkey. She gasped getting up, trying to reach for a weapon, anything. The man threw the bean to the ground and a green vortex opened up. Emma fell to her knees beside the vortex, cursing herself for being so close.

"Emma dear, it's time for you to visit a place that will only bring you hell," said the man.

He nodded towards the monkey, "You can do the honors," and with that Emma felt a strong force shove her forward.

She screamed as she fell into the vortex. The last thing she saw was Henry struggling inside the embrace of the other man's arms, crying out to her, before the vortex swallowed her into a never ending pit of darkness.

* * *

Her stomach felt as though it was a heavy weight, causing her to crash down into swirls of laughing colors. Her throat was throbbing from the impact her screams made. Her body shifted in all different shapes and angles. The dizziness and nausea leaving her mind blank.

All of it was too overwhelming. She cursed herself for being so weak, for allowing those creatures to hurt her son.

This thought allowed more anger to swallow into her frustrated screams until she hit an unexpected surface, hard. Falling onto her stomach, the impact shoots a wave of pain from the tips of her toes to her hair line.

Emma let out an extended scream as she placed her arms under her to slowly lift up her body weight.

"What the…?" Her head shoots up as she hears horse hooves and people shouting a signal to stop. Her vision finally sets on two large horses, which are inches away from her. Her hands scraped the dirt underneath her; as she tried to understand her whereabouts.

She heard the crashing of boots, as a few shadowed figures made their way towards her, "and who might this be?" said one figure, as he leaned his head towards her.

"Looks as though we found a useless treasure for his majesty," this came from the figure standing beside the first one.

They both smirked and grabbed her by her arms, hauling her up. She let out a cry of pain, which only caused them to keep their hold on her much stronger.

"What's your name girl? And where did you get these ridicules clothing?"

They ripped her red leather jacket off, grinning. Emma only spat at them, her face mixed with disgust and pain.

"I will never answer you." Struggling to get free only caused her to whimper in more pain, she felt defeated as they dragged her behind the horses.

"We will not be disrespected by a peasant; you will obey us or suffer the consequences."

"A little help over here," they shouted, as a few more men made their way towards them.

"Open the lock; we need to dispose of her somehow." The men quickly grabbed their keys and unlocked the large box of treasure.

"You will be changing into these rags," said the man that was holding her in place, "if you refuse, we will have to do it ourselves. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want that."

He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her backwards so his face was up against her ear. "Trust me, we wouldn't want that either." A look of disgust passed his face as he picked her up and threw her into the carriage box, causing her to whimper some more. She held her head in her hands, refusing to make eye contact. They chucked her raged clothing at her and slammed the door shut. Her struggled sobs and the carriage wheels against the rocky path were the only sounds that filled her ears.

~Hook's POV~

"Captain, are you sure this is the path they are going to be traveling through?" Smee asked quietly as he approached Hook's side.

"Smee, I will not say this again," Hook leaned towards him, tapping an excusing hook into his chest, "questioning me will only bring you trouble. We may not be on the ocean, but there are numerous amounts of wild creatures that wouldn't mind to have you as a meal."

Smee gulped and nodded as he backed away towards the tree line.

This time Hook spoke out loud to his whole crew, "his majesty's castle in not too far down this path. He always seeks treasure and sends his men out every day to gather up as much as they could find. This is around the time they should be traveling back to the castle. Of course, that is only if they found anything of value, if not they would be running the hills in their undergarments in fear of what their majesty would do."

His whole crew laughed along with him.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves and carriage wheels filled the air.

"Men, at your ready positions," Hook mumbled.

With that he brought down his helmet, which covered his face, and reached for his sword. The carriage and horses halted a few meters in front of Hook.

"Who dares to stand in the way of his majesty's carriage?" shouted one of the guards.

"I am the man who is going to retrieve you of your treasure." Explained Hook in a much deeper voice.

The men laughed, "Oh yeah? And how are you going to do that?" shouted another guard.

Hook started walking forward as the tree lines beside him started burning. It followed him down the path until he stopped in front of the horses. "Allow me to demonstrate," Hook shouted back and raised his sword.

"Wait..." Said the guard closest to him, reaching out his arm in defense, "Turn around," another shouted towards the guards behind him. The horses turned around and galloped away with their riders, leaving their carriage behind.

Smee ran out, followed by rest of the crew, laughing.

"Well done, Captain!" Hook tore his helmet off with his good hand and laughed.

"Let's get this box of treasure opened up, shall we?" Hook signaled to Smee.

He made his way towards the door and unlocked the lock with his hook. He stepped back, allowing Smee to walk forward so he can pull the door open.

At first no one said anything, Smee made his way inside, stopping in his tracts as he let out a gasp.

"Um… Captain," Hook grabbed Smee's coat collar and threw him back.

"What are you waiting for Smee?" Hook growled and made his way inside the box.

A struggled sob escapes his throat as his eyes scan her limp form, which is covered in rags, making its way up to her bruised arms, and finally landing onto Emma's face.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I would love to hear what you guys think of the story so far. :D Review? **

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Chapter 2

~Emma's POV~

The treasure filled box the guards had entrapped her in was far from comfortable. The jewels and coins underneath her were piercing into her back. Her moves were made gentle, as she shifted her weight into a sitting position.

She extended her arms around her side, feeling for the fabric that was thrown at her.

Letting out a long sigh, she grabbed the rags, trying to figure out which way she was supposed to put it on.

She crawled to the other side of the box, getting away from the door. She couldn't risk the possibility that anyone could pry the door open, allowing a view of her changing.

Emma gingerly got out of her clothes. Her arms screamed in disapproval as she slipped the rags over her head. She had no choice; having no idea who these people were or what they were capable of doing, all Emma knew was that she didn't want to find out.

The roads were extremely bumpy, the wheels felt as though they were getting caught on huge stones. She sat in frustration, holding on to anything she could to steady herself.

Suddenly, the wheels lurked forward in an ugly shriek, causing her to scream as the pressure threw her back to the other side of the box. She yelped when her head hit the edge off something sharp. The wheels stopped completely and she slowly sunk down to the ground, dizziness taking over.

But right before she lost consciousness, her mind shook with the impact the horses made as they galloped away.

~Hook's POV~

"What is it Captain?" asked one of his crew men.

Hook ignored him as he slowly made his way toward her. Gaping in disbelief, his eyes never leaving her face.

This wasn't possible. How could she be here? He watched her and Henry cross the town line before the curse took him and the rest of StoryBrooke back to the enchanted forest. She was out of reach; the curse couldn't have taken her.

His steps were made heavy as he approached her. He was afraid that if he moved too fast, she would disappear. That she wouldn't be real.

When he finally reached her, he kneeled down at her side. He stretched out his good hand to the side of her face, brushing away a few strands of hair.

"Emma," he breathed, bringing down his forehead to meet hers. His hand cupped her check and frustrated tears sprung to his eyes.

All his life his ability to love has been very rare. When he does love, the people who he loves always get ripped away from him. His father had left him, his brother died in his arms, his first love, Milah, got her heart ripped out and crushed right in front of him, and Bae wanted nothing to do with him. Then there was Emma, the woman who had given him hope that there is more to life then revenge, that he still had the ability to love and be a part of something. But of course, she got ripped away from him too.

He stopped when he looked down and saw blood on his hand.

"What the...?" He leaned over her and saw a gush of blood dripping down her face. His hand touched her temple, feeling a bump. He cursed under his breath, pulling away as his eyes took in all her injures. He suddenly felt angry. Those men hurt his Swan, he couldn't bare thinking about all the pain she must have gone through.

"Smee, did they leave any horses behind?" Hook yelled, as he turned his head towards the door.

"Yes sir, but only one." Smee explained.

"Doesn't matter, I have to go." Hook gently slid his hooked arm under her shoulder, placing his good arm under her back so he could fully support her body. He lifted her up towards his chest, slowly getting up himself, before he carefully made his way out of the cramped carriage box.

"What do you mean you have to go? I thought we were here for the treasure." Smee complained, as he stepped in front of Hook, blocking his path to the horse.

"Get out of my way!" barked Hook.

"With all due respect, Captain. But why are you helping out this peasant? We came all the way out here to seek treasure, not help some unfortunate woman." Smee stared back and forth between Hook and the limp body he was carrying.

Hook took a step forward, tightening his grip on Emma, as he glared into Smee's eyes. "I will not say it again, Smee," Hook spat, "you have one second to move out of the way or your days working for me are finished."

Smee held out his hands as an act of surrender before he stepped out of the way.

Hook staggered forward towards the horse, desperately moving as fast as he could to reach it. He couldn't waste any more time. All he could think of was to make sure Emma was okay. He had to take her to the tavern he was staying at.

When he reached the horse, he shifted Emma so that she was on one side of his shoulder, supporting her with his right arm. With his free arm he hoisted both his and Emma's body weight onto the horse, holding on to the reins with his hook.

"By the way Smee, to answer your question, this is the only treasure I seek." Hook nodded his head towards Emma, who was now safely lying on his lap, his arms around her. "Do what you will with the junk you call jewels and coins."

He grabbed the reins with his hook again and the horse lurched forward, leaving a very confused crew behind.

Emma stirred and shifted against Hook's chest, which caused him to hold on to her tighter.

"You're okay now Emma, you're safe," he whispered.

He looked down at her face and saw a hint of a smile.

~Emma's POV~

Her eyes slowly opened up in the dim room. Her mind had not yet caught up with her body. It took a while but her vision finally cleared. Shifting her head in all directions, she took in the sight around her. The room was a mess on one side. Clothes, bottles, and waste all clumped together in a pile. But her side of the room was completely spotless, down to the sheets and rags that were covering her.

Emma shot up in a sitting position, cursing herself as the throbbing pain in her head started. It all came rushing back, Henry, the vortex, getting captured. She didn't know which hurt more, her head wound, or her mind trying to think of every possible situation her son could be in right now. Her hand came up to rest on her temple, feeling a bandage covering up her injury.

Great, first they threw her into a ridiculously uncomfortable box and now they were taking care of her injuries? This didn't make any sense.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps outside the room. Her heart skipped a beat as she examined the room, looking for something to defend herself with. Her eyes fell onto a few swords and daggers in the corner of her side of the room. Wait, swords? She stared in confused amusement. Where the hell was she?

The door knob started turning. She swore at the confusion that took over her concentration towards the intruder. She had no time to grab a weapon so she shifted herself to the other side of the bed. Her back bumped the wall the bed was against; she grabbed the bed sheets that were covering her legs and lifted them up to her chin. A weak attempt at defence, she thought to herself.

The door opened up and she held her breath. A man walked in holding a pitcher of water with a cloth. She could only stare at his appearance.

He was drenched in a floor length black leather coat. His pants and shoes matched. She stared back up his body and it landed on a red vest that he wore under his coat.

"Um…?" Emma was glued to her spot, staring at the man. She wasn't sure what he was going to do, but whatever he did next she was not expecting.

He leaned down, placing the pitcher and cloth on a table beside him, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Swan, you're awake." He smiled and made his way towards her.

Emma leaped up from her spot, her arms out in front of her in defence.

"Whoa… who are you?" Emma finally got herself out of the tangled sheets. The man was about to reach out towards her, but her words made him freeze.

"I..." He swore under his breath, causing Emma to raise an eyebrow. An emotion that she couldn't read crossed his face. But in a matter of seconds it was gone, his facial expression turning confused. He quickly brought his arms to his side and backed away. That's when she saw the hook that replaced his left hand.

The few steps he took back gave her room to run around him. She made it to the corner and grabbed a dagger, turning around with it outstretched in her hand. The weapon in her possession made her feel more confident.

"I'm not going to ask you again, who are you?" Emma was standing in front of him now; the dagger's point was positioned at his throat. She hadn't applied pressure yet, something in his eyes made her wait until he answered.

"My name is Killian Jones. Please, I am only trying to help you."

She twisted the dagger in a light pressure, causing him to cry out in pain as some blood was drawn.

"I'm telling you the truth! Who do you think got you out of that prison box? Who do you think took care of your wounds as you were passed out cold?" He pleaded with his eyes, showing her that he meant every word he said.

Emma grabbed the back of his hair and yanked him down toward her ear. The dagger shifted so that it was across his whole throat. He yelped at the pressure and closed his eyes in frustration, knowing what was coming next.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret; I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me." She whispered.

"Emma… Emma, please listen to me!"

She yanked his hair tighter and threw him to the ground.

"How do you know my name?" She yelled, as the dagger pointed dangerously at him.

"It's hard to explain, love. I need you to trust me. I need you to tell me how you got here. I want to help you" Hook slowly got up, lifting his hand and hook.

Emma's shoulder's started to shake, a second later her whole body begun. She dropped the dagger as tears prickled her eyes. Her body dropped down to the ground with it. She hugged her knees into her chest and started sobbing.

"Walsh, he… he lied to me. There was a bean, and a green vortex. I fell through it." She said this as she stared at nothing in particular.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see him staring at her with wide eyes. She shook her head looking away. More sobs escaping her.

"He took him." She whispered.

Hook kneeled down beside her. When she didn't lean away from him he started brushing the hair away from her face.

"What do you mean, love? Who took who?" He asked.

"My son, they took my son. He's gone." She cried.

"What, they took Henry? Who, who took him?" Hook asked again.

Emma's head snapped up, glaring into his eyes.

"Wait… how did you-" Emma was interrupted by the door banging against the wall. She looked up and saw a short man in a red hat, huffing and puffing through her blurry vision.

"Smee," the man beside her said, "what the bloody hell-"

"Captain, come quickly! The tavern, the town, everywhere! It's…"

"What? What is it?" Hook asked impatiently.

"Sir, we're under attack."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I love that you guys are enjoying the story so far. :D**

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Chapter 3

~Henry's POV~

Henry ran down the apartment's hallway, panting. The elevator was not an option; he didn't have a minute to wait for it to travel back up to his floor. Odds were they were already looking for him.

He sprinted down the rest of the corridor, making it to the door that led him to the staircase. Henry sprinted down the stairs, desperately wanting to find his mom help.

He burst through the doors at the bottom of the staircase, making his way to the front counter.

"Excuse me sir. I need help!" Henry said through his heavy breathing.

The man at the counter's back was towards him, shuffling things around. Henry didn't think he heard him so he spoke louder. The man stopped what he was doing, slowly turning around towards Henry's pleading eyes.

Henry gasped when he made eye contact with the man, the man that attacked her mom.

"You..." Henry started to back away.

"Hello Henry, and here I thought you were running away. You should have listened to your mother."

Henry turned and made a run for it. Unfortunately, the man was faster. He grabbed the back of Henry's hood and yanked him into his tight embrace.

The man leaned his head towards Henry's ear and whispered, "Don't worry dearie, your mom is already taken care of. Unfortunately, she's not the one we want."

Henry started squirming in the man's hold, wanting so badly to get away, to get help. There was no way he could take out all three of them on his own. One of them included Walsh; he still didn't understand who these people were or how they knew Walsh. His mom didn't easily trust, now he understood why.

The man had a painful grip on his hair and waist as he dragged him to the elevator. The elevator was at the top floor, but Henry stared in surprise as the man's hold on his hair released, putting his arm up and doing some kind of wave towards the doors. The elevator instantly opened and Henry was pushed inside.

While they were in the elevator the man didn't hold on to him, probably because Henry had nowhere to run. His mistake, Henry thought. When the elevator was nearly to Walsh's floor, Henry attacked. He kicked the man behind the knees, causing his balance to stumble. Henry noticed before that he limped when he walked. As the man tried to balance himself again, Henry elbowed him in his side just as the elevator doors heaved open.

Henry made a run for it, down the narrow hallway to Walsh's front door. He cried out loud when he saw him mom on the floor, beside a terrifying green vortex. Her back was to him and no one seemed to notice his presence. The other man was standing over her saying something that was drowned out by the whistling noise. Walsh was nowhere to be seen, but when the man took a step to the side Henry gaped in disbelief. There was a monkey like creature on the other side of his mother, he had huge flapping wings and his teeth were sharp in a snarl.

Henry didn't know how long he stood there, staring. He hated himself for not sneaking forward to attack the other man, but he knew he had no chance, for the man was bigger and stronger. He also knew it wouldn't be as easy as taking out the other man.

As if on cue, the other man attacked him from behind into his embrace again.

"You shouldn't have done that boy. I don't have a choice, my orders were very clear. Any attempt to disobey will bring you nothing but hell. So I suggest doing what you are told from now on." His hold on him grew tighter and Henry cried out again, allowing his presence to be known.

Just as he looked back towards his mom, she got pushed into the vortex by the creature. Henry screamed for her, yelling at the man to let him go. It took a while but he was free. Henry dodged the other man and jumped towards the green vortex. All he felt was the cold floor when he landed; he looked around and realized the vortex was gone.

"I warned you," the man snarled, as he grabbed Henry by the neck and yanked him up, "What does she want us to do with him?" he asked the other man.

"She doesn't need him in the enchanted forest, not yet anyway. She needs you to prepare him, Rumple." The man answered.

"And what if I refuse?" Rumple snarled.

"Well, I don't think you have much of a choice pet." The man patted Rumple's head and laughed. The creature who had been quiet this whole time, clapped his hands in an amused shriek.

"What are you guys talking about? Prepare me for what?" Henry asked, his shaking breath taking over.

"You will find out soon enough." And with that he got dragged out the door, seconds before he was engulfed by smoke.

~Hook's POV~

"What do you mean we're under attack, Smee?" Hook demanded.

"I mean there are flying creatures attacking people from all sides." Smee began mumbling everything he saw with as much detail as possible.

The growing panic was building up in Hook's chest as his crewmate explained the situation. He made his way to the corner of the room where he kept his swords and daggers. Picking up his sword with his right hand, he turned around to face Emma's direction, but she was gone.

"Bloody hell," he swore under his breath, "Smee, where did the lass go?"

"Um… Captain I have no idea, I thought you were in here alone."

Hook wasn't paying attention anymore. He ran past Smee and out the door when he heard a loud bang coming from outside. His blood boiled in fear, his only thought was to find Emma. How did she get away without him noticing?

When he finally made it out of the tavern's inn, he understood the chaos that Smee was talking about. All around him people lay dead. He heard screams in the distance, people running while a shadowy creature flew after them. There were ruins of bottles, blood, and people's belongings scattered all over the area. A shiver ran through him as he realized Emma was out there. He knew she was a tough, independent woman, but this was a world of magic that her memories failed to help her with.

He began running towards the screaming people, checking the ones that lay on the floor. He recognized some of them from the tavern, some from his crew. It was too late to help them now, he thought, swallowing down the lump in the back of his throat.

When he finally made it out into the open space, looking up in the sky, he finally got a good glimpse of how the creatures looked like.

They were monkey like creatures that had the odd extension of wings, their claws long and sharp, which mimicked their mocking teeth.

Hook jerked out of the way as one flew down towards him. He attempted to sprint down the cobblestones, but instead got the wind knocked out of him when the creature grabbed the collars of his coat and threw him backwards. His hook smashed into the ground, holding him up from an impact that could have been much worse.

He quickly got up to his shaking feet, lifting his sword up to defend himself. When he looked up the creature was gone. Gazing around in confusion, he saw the creature making his way to someone else.

Hook sighed in relief. The creature was not interested in him anymore.

He snapped his head up when he heard a scream. It came from the creature's next victim. Hook stared at the scene in front of him, not realizing that he was already running towards the woman with the blond hair.

~Emma's POV~

Emma was not going to sit around and allow some strange man pretend her problems were his. Her son was missing, kidnaped by her crazy monkey ex-boyfriend and his goons. She had no idea where she was, but wasting her time doing nothing was definitely not going to help.

She quietly crawled out the door as the man, Killian, and the shorter man were arguing about an attack. When she made it out of the hall without being noticed, she sprinted down the direction she thought made sense to be the exit.

But the safe haven she was expecting from the outside was far from what she imagined.

Blood, death, and screaming engulfed the atmosphere around here, the cycle never ending. The shock hit her, not allowing her to think properly. She was frozen in place, staring at her surroundings. It was unfamiliar just like after she fell through the vortex. Since then she has not seen anything that resembled her home in New York.

Where the hell did they send her?

"_Emma dear, it's time for you to visit a place that will only bring you hell." _She remembered the man saying.

Well, he sure wasn't kidding.

She finally got out of her daze and begun running down the street. This could be her only chance to escape; Killian was probably already looking for her. She was done with people making decisions for her, he was no better than Walsh and those men that kidnapped her.

When she made it out into the open space, her escape plan felt dumb. She gasped out into the open air, her heart bouncing in her chest.

Out in front of her were the same monkey creatures that Walsh had turned into. She remembered his shriek being the most awful sound she had ever heard, try hundreds of them together.

Emma cursed out loud when she realized she left her dagger back in the room.

That's what you get when you allow yourself to be vulnerable. She knew the dagger wouldn't help her, but it was better than being defenceless. Going back to the room was not an option, she just had to take the risk and move forward.

Her feet started out as a jog against the shadows the shops provided, attempting to stay out of sight, but she knew the only way she could really get away was by hurrying down the middle of the chaos.

Breathing in, she took her chance and ran.

She stared ahead towards a forest and nothing else, not wanting to get distracted. She knew if she could get to the trees, she would be safe and out of sight.

The terror ripped through her when she heard a shriek, knowing it was above her.

Looking up, she had made the wrong move and tripped. Her hands dug into the ground and she propped herself up into a sitting position.

She hoped to see the darkening sky above her, but was brought back to reality when she saw the creature flying down in her direction.

She placed her hands, palms facing down, on the ground and dragged herself backwards. Her feet were trailing after her. Knowing she wasn't lucky this time, she stopped moving, throwing her arms over her face while she screamed.

The creature was inches away from her now; he shrieked with delight before he knocked her down with his weight. He clawed at her shoulders, an overwhelming pain took its place as the blood begun to gush out of the wound.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the end, but it never came. Instead she felt the weight of the creature being lifted off her. The shriek didn't sound so joyful anymore, it sounded angry. Emma opened her eyes and could only stare as Killian wrestled the creature into the ground.

He was successful for only a few seconds before the creature grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the ground, again and again and again. She saw blood dripping down his forehead but she knew he was still breathing. The creature hadn't gone too far, yet.

Emma looked around and recognized a sword from the room, where she had grabbed the dagger. He must have dropped it when he threw the weight of the creature off of her.

Emma crawled towards it, grabbing it with a strange determination. Her right shoulder had been injured so she shifted the sword to her left hand.

She stood up and stabbed the creature's wings. It shrieked leaving Killian on the ground panting.

"Emma," he breathed.

She wasn't thinking straight, her only thoughts were to take this creature down. She could have run to the safety of the trees, left without looking back. But somehow it didn't feel right to leave after Killian practically risked his own life to save her.

Her hand gripped the sword tight and she swung it, leaving the creature twitching in pain, before finally laying still on the ground. Than the creature disappeared out of thin air, as if it was never there. She heard shrieks above her and realized that all the creatures were flying away. Leaving the mess they made behind.

Emma begun to make her way towards Killian's injured form. He was breathing, but just barely. She crouched down at his side and reached her right hand to the side of his face, her left hand was still accompanied with his sword, just in case the creatures came back.

His eyes flew open, landing on her, as he gasped out short rough breathes.

"Hey, hey it's okay," Emma said in a soothing voice, "you're okay."

"Emma, you're injured." He mumbled, his good hand shaking up towards her shoulder.

"I believe you said you're name was Killian," she said, attempting to change the subject.

He closed his eyes and nodded, a weak smile playing at his lips.

Emma smiled back, "I'm okay Killian. I just need to get you help. You need it more than I do."

He opened his eyes and begun to protest but she stopped him, "Also, after you recover, I would love to hear about where I am and how you know me."

"Only if you promise to take care of your shoulder," He whispered.

"Deal," She said, leaning closer to him.

He smiled again and closed his eyes, this time his consciousness fading away.

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**Review? :D **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating in a while. The last few weeks have been so stressful with school and exams. Now that I'm on summer vacation, I can update more often. Yay! :D So I wanted to thank everyone for your patience. Also, leave me a review and talk to me on Tumblr. I really appreciate your feedback. **

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Chapter 4:

~Emma's POV~

Emma had hoped she would feel protected with the trees surrounding her, blocking her sight from the destructions the creatures had caused. But the truth was she didn't feel safe anymore. How could she? After everything she had gone through in the short period of time, it reminded her of the reasons she had brought her walls up all those years ago. The feeling of lose, betrayal, and sadness overwhelmed her. She hated this, hated all of it. No matter how much she tried to have the life she wanted, to finally find a home, someone always ended up ripping it away from her.

She let out a frustrated scream, hitting her back on the trunk of the tree she was sitting against. She buried her face in her hands, not able to let the screams fade away.

"I'm so stupid… stupid!" She sobbed into her hands, not caring what was around her or who…

He was still unconscious, so why should she keep quiet? It's not like she could wake the dead. But he wasn't dead, she reminded herself, just hurt in a daze he couldn't wake up from. The guilty pang that this happened to him because of her was eating her alive. It was just another annoying emotion to add to the weight.

After the battle, after he had lost consciousness, she didn't know what to do. Going back to the room, to the small village was not an option. She didn't want to look back at the spilled blood and chaos that was left. She also doubted anyone was willingly going to help her. People lost family, friends, their homes, maybe even were left with their own injures to take care of. She was a stranger among them. She didn't even know where the hell she was, taking matters into her own hands was her only option.

Emma hardly believed she was able to drag Killian's limp body to the forest. She struggled to haul his weight, but the realization that danger can come at any moment motivated her to keep going forward.

He lay a few feet away from her now, not to close but not far either. Emma knew from experience how to hide out. She was confident that they were not going to be found, as confident as someone could get in her situation.

Suddenly, Emma heard a shifting; she shot her head up in a dizzying speed. Her eyes were still filled with unshed tears, her face streaked with the fallen ones.

Her gaze was fixed on Killian's outlined silhouette in surprise. Not expecting such a quick recovery.

"Emma..." Killian moaned in pain, still lying on the ground. He spoke so softly that Emma would not have heard what he said if her full attention was not on him.

She placed her left hand on the tree behind her to help lift herself up. She was afraid to use her right arm, which had been injured when that creature attached her. She hadn't had much thought on it before. The pain helped her forget for a while. But letting it bleed was not a smart idea, so she had ripped some of the fabric from the bottom of the rages she was still wearing, rapping it around her shoulder.

Once she was on her feet, her back was still against the tree trunk. She went to take a step forward, but collapsed to the ground.

She landed on her injured shoulder, the impact making her scream. Her shoulder burned with a fiery sensation that she had never felt in her life, and never wanted to feel again. The pain shot up to her head, making it pound unbearably.

"Emma!" Killian was trying to sit up now, the worry in his voice to obvious to ignore. But why did he care? It's not like he has known her for more than half a day. At least that was the logical thing to think about, she had never seen him in her life before. But she still couldn't shake the familiar feeling that pegged through her chest when she saw him. The way he looked at her also confirmed the odd idea that he has known her for a while. None of this made sense, she didn't want to worry herself over this when Henry was still out there, but she was too weak to do anything about it.

"I'm fine." Emma managed to croak out. She tried her hardest to keep her voice neutral, but when she looked down at her wound, she paled under the night sky. Her face as white as the mocking stars winking down at them.

The rags that were around her wound were now soaked blood, there was no trace of the pale brown shade the fabric had been before.

The pounding in her head had subsided to a dizziness she didn't like. But she still crawled towards him.

She put all her body weight on her left arm, dragging herself without moving her right shoulder. Her hair was brushing against her injury. The blood contagiously clung to her golden hair, leaving it in clumps to brush against her cheek. She felt the blood smear onto her face and cursed under her breath. She probably looked like death was dragging her to him. If he looked over she was afraid he would run for the hills, so she dragged herself quicker.

She finally made it to his side, grabbed his waste to use it as a lifeline, dragging herself the last inch before she collapsed on top of him. Of course she didn't put her full body weight on him; his injuries were probably much more painful than hers.

She buried her face in his neck and cried. She hated being vulnerable, but couldn't keep the pain and built up emotions to herself anymore.

"Em-" He had reached out to touch her right shoulder as if he were giving her a hug and she yelped in pain. She felt him tense underneath her as he quickly realized what had happened to her. His hand coming away bloody and she felt him clench his fist in an angry gesture.

"I need to help you Emma. Please jus... just help me up." But she didn't move, only clung to him even harder. His breath got caught in his throat by her sudden movement and he closed his eyes for a minute, letting her hold him as he returned the gesture automatically.

"No, you're the one not okay. Plus I don't want you to see me right now. I look like a zombie mixed with death. I mean they are already dea-"

"Emma! Wait... a zombie? What the bloody hell is that? Your appearance never matters when you are bleeding to death." She laughed her first real laugh in a long, long time. It felt strange and new and good. It was weird that a stranger such as himself could make her feel like the weights on her shoulders were being lifted, simply by the other person just being there.

Killian shifted his hand to her left shoulder and put his hook around her back. Slowly, which was not hard with his mutual injured form, he flipped them around so that she was lying on the ground. Making sure that her bad shoulder didn't so much as skim the ground.

"Everything is going to be okay Swan. I need you to stay with me."

All Emma could do was smile through the pain.

* * *

Her eyelids opened slowly, welcoming the bright sky to engulf her in warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time. Everything that had happened rushed back to her memories. She never remembered falling asleep, only the image of Killian tending to her shoulder filled her mind.

She lifted her left arm and reached for her wound, which was now healed. There was no more pain or hot liquid gushing down her arm, only some kind of new fabric wrapped around her shoulder in careful knots. Her head no longer pounded and her dizziness had subsided. It was as if nothing had happened.

She lifted her weight with her left arm, still not trusting her right, and looked around. In the middle of their hiding spot, left a trace of a fire that Killian must have started. The branches and sticks still in place, some smoke lazily floating towards the sky.

Her gaze scanned around the landscape, but he was nowhere to be seen. She started to panic when all the possible situations he could have gotten himself into began to sink in.

What if the creatures found them and took him, leaving him somewhere deep in the woods to die? If that was the case, then they would be coming back for her at any minute.

Her heart pounded, while she fully prompted her body to a standing position. She was no longer weak, she felt a strange sort of strength run through her veins. But if the creatures did attack her, she still had no weapon to defend herself with.

As these thoughts sunk in, a rustling from behind her brought her back to reality. She cursed out loud and ran to grab a burnt branch from the fire pit. She hid behind the nearest tree and waited.

More shuffling, some branches being snapped, and she heard breathing growing louder as it approached her.

She couldn't hesitate, not now. She was tired of other people fighting her battles. More specifically she hated that Killian was the one who fought them for her. She was no damsel in distress.

Taking a deep breath, she flung herself out from behind the tree and attacked the intruder.

She repeatedly slapped the burning branch onto the back of his neck, regretting it a few seconds later when she realized who it was.

"Bloody hell women." He reached behind him and grabbed her arm, slamming her against the tree she had hid behind just a minute ago. He was facing her, his body against hers, still pushing her onto the tree. His hand and hook were on either side of her head, resting on the trunk.

Her breath got caught in her throat when she stared into his eyes. She never noticed how blue they were before. She could get lost in them forever and wouldn't care.

His gaze left her eyes and fell to her lips. Her whole body tensed and he seemed to notice because two seconds later he pushed himself off her, turning around so he wasn't facing her anymore.

"I'm sorry," She whispered "I thought you were-"

"It's okay, love. I can't really blame you. It's hard- I mean you don't remem-" he signed out loud, his good hand rubbing his face.

"Oh, by the way," he turned around, reaching into a satchel at his side and pulled out a dress and cape, "change into these. You can't be walking around in those rags anymore. You don't want people to think you were a prisoner."

"I still am." She said under her breath, not thinking that he heard her.

Instead of saying anything, he threw the clothes at her feet and turned around. This time walking away and not looking back.

~Hook's POV~

He sat around the burnt out fire pit, waiting for Emma. His neck burned, but not as much as he wanted it to. He deserved it, leaving her alone like that, all vulnerable in her sleep and healing condition. Anything from those creatures to a drunken man could have been passing by and easily could have hurt her. This thought made his heart ache. He tightened his fist and hook into the ground to steady himself.

He had almost hurt her himself, slamming her against that tree with her shoulder still healing. For a second he thought he was going to lean in and kiss her, the way she looked at him made him believe that she would have let him. But that was crazy; she hardly wanted to be with him when she had her memories. The thought that she would want to be with him now was absurd.

He heard her footsteps behind him but didn't turn his head. His glance was fixed on his hook, still furiously scraping the dirt.

He stopped his movements when he felt her hand on the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry." She breathed into his ear. He hadn't expected her to be so close and a shiver ran down his spine.

Just as quickly as her hand had touched him, it disappeared with a faster speed. He let out a breath of relief, not wanting to show her his incapability to think straight when she was around.

She walked around the fire pit and sat on the other side, facing him. The distance she put between them didn't surprise him.

When he finally got a chance to look at her, his breath was gone again. The patterned light brown dress and brown corset he had stolen from a village house for her fit her perfectly, the cape putting it all flawlessly together. His eyes scanned her curves, making it up to her chest and he quickly looked away. His face heated up with a reddened blush, cursing himself for being so obvious.

"It's okay love, really. Trust me, I've had it worse." He managed a smile in her direction but only got a sad smile in return.

"Well," She began.

"So," He said at the same time.

They stared at each other startled, causing a long awkward silence.

"Do you want to explain to me what those creatures were?" Emma finally said.

"I'm trying to figure that out myself, love. I have never seen those things before." He replied.

"I have." She breathed.

"You…" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uh… yeah" She looked down, he noticed that her eyes were getting watery. "It's what attacked me in New York. It took my son and pushed me into this green sort of vortex that brought me here."

That explained everything, he thought with an overwhelming sense of regret. Her son was gone again, first by Pan and now by those flying monstrosities. She didn't even realize this horrifying irony.

"Emma... I" He was speechless, for the first time he couldn't say anything without making himself sound crazy.

"No, no. You don't have to say anything. It's not like you could change the past." She sighed.

He finally found his voice. "No I can't. But I could help you get your son back."

She stared at him in astonishment. "You would do that for me?"

"Aye." He replied.

"Thank you. But I must let you know that I don't trust easily. It's going to take some time." He nodded, understanding that this was a very Emma thing to say.

He was about to say something when he heard shuffling and voices approaching them. Emma looked up startled, but he had already grabbed her good arm, hauling her up to quickly follow him.

They made it behind the safety of some bushes, opposite from where they knew the real intruders were coming from.

"What's going on?" She breathed.

"Keep quiet love. We can't be seen."

Suddenly, the people whose voices they had heard appeared out from behind a set of trees. They looked a little shaken up, but also had a look on their face that made Killian glad they were smart enough to hide.

There were three men, walking side by side. All of them were tall and had a strong built. They were wearing different coloured vests, blue, green, and orange, with a floor length black coat over it.

"What do you think happened back there?" asked the one in green.

"I have no idea. It just means the lot of useless treasure we found didn't take too much effort to steal. Half of the population is dead, they don't need these things anymore." laughed the one in the blue vest.

"Right you are boys. Blackbeard will definitely be grateful that he chooses the right people in his useless crew to take on this mission." barked the orange.

Killian stiffened beside Emma, she looked at him with a curious glance. All that could process through his mind was that these men were working for Blackbeard, which also meant that he can't be too far from here. He felt regret in the pit of his stomach, this couldn't be good.

"Come on lads, we need to get back to the Jolly Roger before sundown. You know how Blackbeard hates to be kept waiting." They made their way across to the other side and soon disappeared behind the landscape of trees and bushes.

Killian just stared after them, his face showing a mix of shock and disbelief. He had looked everywhere for the Jolly Roger, his ship and home. That bloody disgrace for a pirate has taken over it.

"Are you okay? You look really pale." Emma's gentle voice broke him out of his daze.

"Yes, just fine." The words felt bitter on his tongue. He knew Emma's ability to know when someone was lying, and could tell that she was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I have a plan." He explained, causing Emma to not mention his incapability to tell her what he really felt.

"Which would be…?" She started.

"Blackbeard, we need to find him."

"You mean an ancient pirate?" She began to laugh, "I thought they were just kidding."

"No love, there is a lot that you would be surprised about."

"Well, what exactly are we going to do?" She pressed.

He started to get up, smiling down at her.

"We are going to get the Jolly Roger back."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I apologize again for the late update. I really wasn't planning on taking forever to finish this chapter, but it's finally done. Thank you guys so much for being patient with me. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think. Next update shall be soon! :D**

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Chapter 5

~Hook's POV~

He had insisted to stay hidden for a good hour, Emma had protested that the men were long gone and the coast was clear. She kept explaining that she did this sort of thing for a living, but he would not hear it. They both had gone through enough during that past day. He didn't want to risk anymore injuries that were going to slow them down. Especially not with the new task at hand.

The Jolly Roger was here, he knew in his gut that he would be able to find her, but still lost hope after six months of searching. The realization that Blackbeard had captured it sent an unnerving rage through his veins. Of all people, it had to be him. He was going to get his ship back, but not without a fight. He knew how Blackbeard was, wouldn't give it up for all the jewels in the realm.

He also knew that his crew were not people you should deal with; staying hidden was there best chance of getting through this. No, they couldn't follow them, but it wasn't hard to figure out where they were headed.

After an hour of waiting, Hook finally deciding to walk down the same path the men had waked through. Emma was trudging behind him, being dangerously quiet. Her silence was off-putting, but he could feel her eyes glare into the back of his head. An awareness dawning on him that he didn't allow her a say in the matter. He cursed himself for his straight up dreadful approach to win her trust, before abruptly turning around to face her.

"What the hell-" She smacked right into his body, grabbing on to his shoulders so she wouldn't trip over his foot.

"Sorry lass." He held on to her for a few more seconds before helping her back up to balance on her feet. She took little steps back, distancing herself from him.

"Honestly Killian. It's impossible to stay in one piece with you around. Are you always so care free?"

"I…" He could only gap at her sudden accusation, scratching behind his ear so he had something to do. "Love, I just…"

"Stop, I am not your love. Killian its fine I understand that I'm just dead weight. You don't have to spare my feelings." She spat the last sentence before marching past him, making sure to knock his shoulder with hers to make a point.

"Emma you are being ridiculous, you are not dead weight. I care about you too much to ever hurt you. You don't know how relieved I was to find you."

She turned around, throwing her arms up in a frustrated gesture. "You're right, I don't know, because last time I checked Killian, I met you yesterday." She was inches away from him now, poking an accusing finger on his chest. "How does that make any sense?"

"Lass, I-"

"No you don't get to talk! I have been through hell the past couple of days, you don't understand anything. My boyfriend, the man I loved, turned out to be a lunatic flying creature that kidnapped my son, pushed me into a green vortex that lead me to this hell of a place, only to get kidnapped and tortured myself by some more lunatics," Her yelling picked up in a desperate plea, as she vented out her emotions, "then I saw you, you lying bastard who claims to know everything about me. Well you know what, you are no better than all of them! You think all of this is okay? Well guess what? Above all these incidents, the worst part is that I got my heart broken again. I decided to trust and look where it got me. So no thank you Killian, whatever it is you want. Just leave me alone."

Every word she said felt as if someone was punching him, leaving him breathless. No words would come to ease the heart wrenching pain she was feeling, and he hated himself for it. He knew Henry was kidnapped, but he couldn't even imagine how much she had gone through alone. The fact that she was in love with someone who betrayed her again, made him feel empty with rage. The last six months he had missed her with every inch of his existence; he couldn't sleep, eat, and think without the aching of loss taking over. She was here with him now, but he was losing her again. It was tortures to see her like this, and not being able to do anything about it was agonizing. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and protect her from every fear, suffering, and pain she felt. But she wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn't make her stay or make her do something she didn't want to do.

"I apologize for my rudeness lass." She glanced at him one last time before finally walking down the opposite path he was heading towards. The path they both should have been heading toward. He couldn't bring himself to move, not until the last golden locks disappeared behind a display of trees.

~Emma's POV~

It had grown darker as her boots trudged through the dirt path. She was frustrated without remorse; everything she had spat at him was well deserved. At least she kept telling herself that it was.

She had seen the look on his face and that scared her. The hurt, care, and fear was what made her hesitate, but leaving was the best option. Maybe he just needed time alone so he could get his thoughts straightened out. The problem was that her thoughts were arranged into a web of tangles. She didn't know what to think.

Her walk through the forest grew heavier, every step becoming agonizing from exhaustion. Her guess was that she had left him for a good couple of hours.

Emma finally gave up, resting her palms on the nearest tree. Her breaths grew slower as she begun to sink down to the ground.

She had no idea where she was or where she was headed. It scared and exhilarated her.

She sat there for what felt like forever. Her head felt heavy so she gave up and dropped her head into her lap.

What was she doing? She couldn't survive this place without someone who knows it well. There could be danger beyond her imagination on every turn.

Leaving Killian was stupid, she knew that now, but the strange feeling that they had some sort of familiar connection towards each other, that she could stare into those deep blue eyes and see so much care and truth scared her.

She made her choice pretty clear though, and as the hours dragged on she realized that he had not gone after her. It surprised her that she was even hoping that he did.

The sky, now completely dark with only stars illuminating the night, gave Emma the small boost to get up from her spot and find somewhere safe to rest. She felt too exposed to more possible trouble here.

Her eyesight betrayed her, causing her steps to be small. The occasional branch snapping or leaves crunching under her feet made her cringe.

If she kept this up it could lead to her death.

But what happened next, she was not expecting. A safe haven.

As she pushed through the last dozen trees, hope filled her heart. There was a dock filled with ships and people. No more darkened forest that she felt lost in, only civilization engulfed her in a strange sense of comfort.

Apparently the late night didn't bother anyone, for people were out as if it was in the middle of the day.

The air smelt of fresh sea, opening up her mind from her tired daze. The scene in front of her was absolutely beautiful. Ships were slowly swaying in the shimmering dark water, people moving quickly up and down the path, going who knows where. It was like an enchanting dream, one second she was standing outside the forest line and the next she found herself by the ships.

She didn't pay attention to the commotions around her, only what was ahead of her. Her mind was filled with memories and images that were not hers. It didn't mean anything to her, but she didn't care. The water got her excited, the ships made her feel overwhelmed with giddiness. All she wanted to do was hop on one and sail away.

Her mind kept drifting, her feet moving without her command. Her arms reached up and pulled the hood of her cape on her head. She never let them drop, only outstretched her arms to the sides and closed her eyes.

Her feet still moved and she laughed every time someone yelled, "Watch out!" Obviously people were trying to get out of the way so she wouldn't bump into them. She felt in control, loving every single second of it.

Suddenly, she came to a stop when she felt a hand on her back. Her arms dropped, her eyes opened, and she begun to remember herself.

She turned around and was greeted by a man with pirate attire. A black tri-cornered hat was placed on his head, along with a coat that reminded her of Killian's, but was red instead.

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" The man dropped his arms around her waist and brought her uncomfortably close, leaning his head near her face while he talked. "I'm not sure who you are lass, but you really have gotten the attention of everyone in this town." Emma tried her hardest to not cringe at the smell of rum on his breath, she began shaking, cursing for losing control of herself.

"Please," she whispered, "let go-."

"Ladies and gentlemen," The man yelled to the crowd that was gathering around them, clearly ignoring what she said. He turned her again so that she was side to side with him, his arm still around her. "It seems my wench has gotten way too drunk, my apologies. Get on with your business; I shall take care of her inside my ship." There was a roar of laughter. People slapped the man on his back and continued walking. He laughed a long with them and grabbed my arm, pulling me to one of the ships.

She scanned the ship they climbed aboard on and found that it said "The Jolly Roger."

Wasn't this the same ship that she and Killian wanted to find? That someone by the name of-

Her thoughts were finally piecing everything together. If this was the so called "Jolly Roger," that would mean that this man that is luring her on "his" ship is Blackbeard.

She gasped and yanked her arm out of his grasp. There was a reason Killian tensed when those other men had mentioned Blackbeard. There was a reason that Killian was so determined to find him and get this ship back in the process.

But where was he? Shouldn't he have gotten here by now? Unless he went out looking for her instead…

"What is it milady, you afraid of me?" He laughed out loud; his entire posture showed how he was faking his amusement. He grabbed her arm again and pushed her to the ground, "Well good, I don't know if you have heard of me. My name is Blackbeard." He smiled with his yellow teeth and leaned towards her, yanking a fistful of her hair, making her shriek with pain. "I'm the most fearsome pirate captain in the entire realm."

"Are you sure about that?"

Both Emma and Blackbeard's head snapped up, looking towards the person that just dared to question Blackbeard.

Emma sighed in relief, her body relaxing as she made eye contact with Killian.

"Let her go." Killian snarled. He had a sword outstretched with his good hand towards Blackbeard's neck. This time Blackbeard laughed for real.

"Or what Captain?"

"I will slit your throat before throwing you off the plank."

"Oh, and you're so determined that you will succeed?"

"This is my ship, that woman, she- It doesn't matter what she is, but she isn't yours!"

Blackbeard continued laughing, not taking any of Killian's threats seriously. "I see, I see. Have you gone soft _Hook? _ What would your crew say about that, huh? It doesn't look like you have any. So they have turned their pathetic loyalty somewhere else. This is not at all surprising."

Killian continued standing there, his grip on the sword tightened as he glared at his opponent.

"Fight me Hook. Don't hold anything back; this will end with one of us being fed to the sea creatures."

"Emma, lass… go under deck."

"But…"

"Now!"

"Listen to him milady; you wouldn't want to see your dear rescuer's head on a platter, now would you?" Blackbeard chimed in. He reached his hand to his belt and pulled out his own sword, readying himself to fight.

They both stared at her waiting for her to leave, apparently putting their sword fight in her hands in regard to when they would start.

"Killian please, let's just go. Be the bigger man here and leave. You don't need to prove yourself to anyone."

"Emma, go under deck now!"

Not wanting to argue anymore, she obeyed, but not before making sure to give him a disappointed look before she passed.

She climbed down below deck, astonished to find the area cleaned with a bed, desk, maps, etc. She was expecting more boxes and rats.

Suddenly, her thoughts were cleared when she heard the clashing of swords above deck. Fear was all she felt; fear that Killian was not going to make it. He was fighting for her, but not just her. This ship apparently belonged to him, and a captain would go down with his ship…

There were shouts and yells now, and Emma couldn't help a few tears running down her face. She couldn't just wait here. If he dies than what would Blackbeard do to her? She could imagine being forced against her will to stay, but even if she escapes or they let her go, where exactly would she go?

The idea of being alone in this foreign land scared her.

No, she would fight for what she wants.

Her eyes scanned the room. There had to be some kind of sword or something she could use as a weapon.

She started shifting things around, desperately trying to find something. She was running out of time. It could be over soon, he could even be gone right now.

Emma unclipped her cape in frustration, it was just extra weight that she didn't need.

Her hands were placed on a large fancy chest. Luckily, the lock was already opened. She wasted no time and threw the chest open, finding a display of swords and daggers.

"Yes…" She felt adrenaline pumping through her veins as she grabbed a sword, quickly getting a good grip on it.

She climbed up the ladder and was shocked at the scene in front of her.

Killian was lying on the ground, a sword to his throat, Blackbeard's sword. They were both drenched in blood, she felt bile making its way up her throat.

She couldn't back down now. She noticed that men, probably Blackbeard's crew, were gathered around, watching the fight.

Not letting another moment pass, she raced towards the fighting duo. Blackbeard yelled out in pain as she threw all her body weight at him, in an attempt to get him off Killian.

Killian gasped in disbelief but she didn't care.

"Stop this right now!" Emma raised her sword to his neck.

"Emma, please don't get involved." Killian begged.

Both men got up staring at her in awe.

She turned around towards Killian, "No, just stop this nonsense. Please Killian."

"Emma you don't-"

But she never got to know what he was going to say.

Two pairs of arms grabbed her; she looked up and saw that they belonged to Blackbeard's crew.

They dragged her away and Killian yelled for them to stop. He looked raged to the point of exploding.

Killian turned towards Blackbeard and Emma screamed as Killian slit his throat.

The crew members let her go as she fell to the ground with one hand over her mouth in shock.

"Emma, I told you to stay below deck." He whispered.

She didn't look at him, couldn't look at him after what he just did.

She placed her hands on the deck and prompted herself up in a standing position, not looking back as she escaped down below deck.


End file.
